Outdoor Living

Treat your green thumb to an indoor herb garden

Herbs are often grown together, though their individual soil, water and sunlight needs can vary.

Photograph by: Greg Fulmes
, Calgary Herald

Q: I have been reading your columns for years and have always thought about asking a question, but I have not until now. I remember you writing a column a few years ago about growing herbs indoors. While you did describe the basic requirements for most herbs, you did not go into the specific needs for individual herbs.

I am planning to grow some herbs indoors I have never grown before. The list includes tarragon, camomile and sage. Can you explain the individual needs of these plants?

A: Thank you for being such a faithful reader. Your question got me thinking and I looked up the old column. I think I need to address the individual needs for some of the herbs.

Tarragon: This plant likes to be grown in a sunny spot and prefers the soil to be well-drained. It does not need the soil to be high in nutrients, so a regular potting mix with added compost will work well.

Use two parts potting mix to one part compost. Make sure there are drainage holes in the container. Keep the soil moist, but not wet. Add to the soil a small amount of slow-release fertilizer pellets designed for pots.

Look for these in garden centres — the formula is usually 12-12-12 or 14-14-14. You can expect the tarragon to grow in the same container for one to three years.

Camomile: This herb likes to have as much light as possible. In Canadian winters with low light levels, you may need to supplement the light with an artificial source such as a Gro-Light. Regular potting mix with compost is the soil of choice. Add slow-release pellets at planting time.

This is another herb that prefers soil that's moist, but not wet. German camomile will wilt easily if not kept moist. A word of warning: Camomile will do quite well on the balcony in the summer in containers, but can struggle indoors.

Sage: This herb can be easily grown indoors as long as you can offer it direct sunlight for six hours/day.

With sage, as with any sun-loving herb, it is a good idea to rotate the pot occasionally as the plant will begin to lean toward the light if you do not.

All-purpose potting mix makes a great choice for sage and there is no need to add organic matter for this plant. You can add one part perlite or sharp sand to two parts potting mix to help the drainage. Sage will not tolerate having its feet wet, so allow the top of the soil to dry out. Make sure the pot has drainage holes as well. Wait for one year, then harvest as needed.

Basil: This plant likes a lot of sunlight — six to eight hours would be best. It also likes a high organic content in its soil, so use a pure compost and no potting mix. You can find bags of compost in most garden centres. Fertilizing is easy if you use slow-release fertilizer pellets. Harvest the top leaves first. The plant is a pick-and-come-again type. This means that it will produce more leaves from where you picked. You can freeze the leaves for later use or dry them. Keep basil moist, but never wet.

Parsley: An easy herb to grow and one that will tolerate some shade, but prefers full sun. The plant is a little fussy about the soil, so pure compost will work just fine. The added benefit of planting in compost is that it is excellent at holding moisture. The same cannot be said about potting mixes. Ensure the soil does not dry out between waterings. Again the rule of thumb is moist, but never wet. Fertilize with slow-release pellets and harvest as needed. This plant does not do well in its second year, so it is best to plant new each year.

Rosemary: Perhaps my favourite herb and another easy one to grow. Plant in all-purpose potting mix. Add coarse gravel to the bottom of the pot when planting to ensure that the drainage holes remain open. Rosemary hates having its feet wet as well. When watering, stick your finger into the soil up to the first knuckle. If the soil feels dry, it is time to water. The plant likes lots of sunlight, but will tolerate some shade. Rosemary does not need a lot of nutrients to be happy — something like a compost tea applied once a month will do nicely. When harvesting, just snip off a branch as needed.

Gerald Filipski is a member of the Garden Writers Association of America.

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